Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Erica Gunn, left, helps one of her players, sophomore basketball and soccer player Stephanie Cook, right, prepare for a different kind of contest. “The dating game” featured three male contestants — all MIT basketball players, with two posing as students from Caltech and Harvard — competing for a date with Cooke.

Faculty, staff and students competed as part of the first-ever skills challenge. 7-foot Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Paul Grant, a former NBA player, was hard to compete with, but sophomore soccer player Emily Kuo was up to the challenge, winning the contest.

Beaver Madness packs Rockwell Cage

Share

Comment

The first-ever "Beaver Madness" — hosted by the MIT men's and women's basketball teams — brought a packed, pep-rally atmosphere to Rockwell Cage on Friday, Oct. 15. Organized by the teams' official student fan group, the event gave spectators an inside look at the 2010-2011 teams, and included a scrimmage by each team, skits and contests.

“We wanted to showcase all the exciting stuff going on in MIT athletics and make everyone a part of it,” said senior Kristen Whaley, captain of the women’s basketball team.

In addition to the athletic offerings, Beaver Madness included performances by the a cappella group, MIT Logarhythms, and the MIT dance group, Ridonkulous.

The first basketball practice of the season is traditionally held in mid-October, the first day the NCAA officially allows basketball practice to start. In an effort to make the night more than just a practice session, Beaver Madness was designed to allow the whole community to participate.

“We wanted to play a small role — in a big way — to help build the kind of community that we all dream of,” said Larry Anderson, men’s basketball head coach and associate professor.

The men’s basketball team will kick-off their season in Rockwell Cage on Nov. 16, against Emmanuel College at 7 p.m. The women’s home opener comes one week later, Nov. 23, against Pine Manor at 6 p.m.